Golf is a uniquely challenging sport that can create many memorable days (both good and bad) for professional and amateur players alike. Avid golfers often tend to collect golf balls to commemorate special events such as playing on a famous or particularly challenging golf course, or hitting a particularly difficult shot such as a hole-in-one. Other golf balls may commemorate a victory, either individually or as part of a team in tournament play. In many instances, a golfer may simply wish to keep a “logo ball” as a souvenir of a particular golf outing or a particular golf course. Such logo balls often include a decoration and/or the name of a particular golf course or tournament.
Once a golfer has collected a number of distinctive balls (e.g., logo balls), he or she may wish to display the golf balls on a decorative rack having a number of shelves containing depressions within which the balls sit. U.S. Pat. No. D397,897 issued to Tipton provides one example of such a display rack (shaped like a golf ball on a tee) having a number of shelves with depressions for holding a plurality of commemorative golf balls. While such display racks provide for displaying a large number of logo (or other special) golf balls, the display racks do not provide any means for identifying the golf ball beyond the logo or other information that is actually printed on the ball itself. For example, display racks of the type shown in U.S. Pat.No. D397,897 provide no distinctive information for the golf balls displayed on the shelves. Thus, anyone viewing the golf balls in the display would be unable to discern any important details relating to the golf ball beyond the information that can be gleaned from the logo on the ball. For example, casual inspection of a golf ball within the display would not provide any information relating to the significance of the ball, such as the score associated with the round of golf or the date that the round was played. Indeed, even the golfer who kept the commemorative golf ball and placed it in the display may tend to forget the details or import of an individual golf ball as the collection of commemorative balls grows in size.
One solution to the above problem is to mount each commemorative golf ball on a separate plaque where pertinent information (such as score, date and other significant details) may be engraved or otherwise printed on the plaque. However, such individual displays are prohibitively expensive and can consume excessive amounts of space relative to the type of display rack described in U.S. Pat. No. D397,897. Another solution would be to place relevant identifying information directly on the golf ball itself (such as by writing on the golf ball with permanent ink), although this solution is not popular since most golfers prefer not to mar their commemorative logo balls.
Thus, an improved display mechanism is needed that will allow a golfer to simultaneously display a commemorative golf ball (such as a logo ball) while providing pertinent data or information regarding the significance of the golf ball. Such a display mechanism would preferably be selectively attachable to and detachable from a logo ball so that the ball could be viewed or examined separately from the display mechanism. Furthermore, the display mechanism should be of a size and shape that allows use of the display mechanism with conventional golf ball displays such as the display rack shown in U.S. Pat. No. D397,897 described above. It is with respect to these and other background considerations, limitations and problems that the present invention has evolved.